Álava records magnitude 4 earthquake | Spain

The Security Department of the Basque Government and the Provincial Delegation of Alava sent messages of tranquility to the population this Monday after the earthquake felt this morning in the territory, of which no aftershock is expected. This magnitude 4 earthquake was felt in several localities of Alava, including the capital, and the municipality where it had its epicenter, Iruña de Oca, at 00:10.

The Security Ministry said no personal or material damage had been recorded and stressed that no aftershocks were expected and that if there were, they would be “small in scale and imperceptible to the public”. It is for this reason that the Euskadi Emergency Coordination Center asks citizens to have peace of mind and rely only on official information.

Shortly after the earthquake, the center recorded 143 calls related to the incident, including receiving automated messages on cell phones sent by the devices’ operating systems, with advice to “stay safe” such as “put on your shoes,” “check the gas” and “avoid damaged buildings.”

In the same sense, the vice-general of Alava, Ramiro González, asked for calm and that official information be always followed and recalled that for the moment no mobilization of firefighters in the territory has been necessary. According to the National Geographic Institute (IGN), the earthquake was magnitude 4 and its epicenter was in the town of Iruña de Oca (Alava).

The geologist and scientific broadcaster Antonio Aretxabaleta assured that this is the largest earthquake recorded in the Basque Country. He explained that there are historical records of minor earthquakes in the last century in the Alava municipalities of Salinas de Añana and Agurain, while clarifying that Alava is not an area of ​​seismic activity.

However, in statements to Radio Euskadi, he indicated that once an earthquake of this magnitude was recorded, which “was not particularly violent, it is likely that there will be more in the future.” Residents of Vitoria clearly saw the tremor and even some who were sleeping were awakened by the earthquake, which was felt even more strongly in Iruña de Oca, where an aftershock was also felt.

The mayor of this town, Miguel Ángel Montes, visited the five villages that make up the municipality after the earthquake to personally verify that there had been no damage. The first mayor reported feeling “two very violent blows, like two explosions” and that the table he was working on “had completely moved”. Even many sleeping neighbors were awakened by the shaking and contacted the town hall to find out what had happened. “Everyone noticed, the beds were moved,” added the first mayor.